Gentle Nudges Newsletter

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“I loved this newsletter. It's great how you break down us readers' resistances to taking care of ourselves, and do it with such a sweet and gentle voice with that touch of humor. Questions like those are excellent tools for re-focusing; getting back on track with what's important and letting go of what's not.”

- Ella Jolly, Social Worker
New York City

Cut Yourself Some Slack

These last several months have opened up my perception of how the body can change, specifically the female body! As many of you know by now, I’m expecting my first child. Somehow in the last few weeks, I’ve gone from looking “most likely pregnant,” to “she’s definitely pregnant!”

This process of expansion and change has been fascinating, awe-inspiring, exhausting, bizarre, emotional, fun, challenging, educational, and more (“So that’s what an abdominal ligament feels like!”).

I’m sure when I look back in four, six, 12 months, and years from now, the lessons will emerge clearer and clearer. For now, one floats to the top:

There are always ways to be more gentle with and kind to yourself. We push ourselves, we modern folks, so so hard. One of the interesting things about being pregnant, I’ve found, is that you get more of an excuse to rest, emote, ask for help, make mistakes, forget things, and take your time. People are more understanding, and I’ve found myself to be more understanding of myself!
It’s made me wonder, why are we not more understanding of ourselves and each other without the excuse of pregnancy, or burn-out, or serious illness? What would life, even society as a whole, be like if we were taught to recognize and encouraged to follow the softer mentions of need from our body? To understand the gentler cues (e.g. I need rest, time for food, time to move) before they became blaring, unavoidable alarms?

Whether you are pregnant or not, have been or not, plan to be or don’t, I hope you’ll consider my Gentle Nudge to treat yourself with more kindness and patience.

If that feels hard or you’re not sure what that looks like, a simple inquiry like one of the following might open things up:

> “What would a little more gentleness right now look or feel like?”
or
> “What could be softer?”
or
> “How could I show myself more patience or kindness in this moment?”

Maybe the answer is to close your eyes for 20 seconds and just breathe. Or maybe it’s to say to yourself something like, “Even though I feel like I’m not doing enough, I’m making progress.” Or maybe you’ll feel compelled to do a couple of your favorite stretches or take a short walk.

Then, notice what you feel in your body and where you feel it.

Gently yours,
Helena

{Written March 13, 2018 and shared first with my Gentle Nudge newsletter recipients.}

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